By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Recently, Tennessee Tech men's basketball head coach John Pelphrey announced the signing of six individuals for the 2020-21 season. This week, we continue to take a closer look at each member of the newest class of Golden Eagles.
Joining the purple and gold as the team's newest veteran presence is graduate transfer Shandon Goldman, a 6-foot-10 forward coming to Cookeville via Northern Iowa and better known by his nickname, "Biggie." The Evansville, Ark. native spent the past two seasons in Cedar Falls, Iowa, sitting out the 2019-20 campaign as a redshirt.
"I'd say the biggest factor in my decision was the relationship Coach Pel and I built over a couple of months," Goldman explained. "I just felt that he believed in me the most. He studied all the film he could find on me so he could have the best understanding of who I am and what my game is. I felt no other coach would have that level of belief in my abilities that Coach Pel has."
"Biggie comes to Cookeville having had several different college experiences already in his career," Pelphrey said. "He will have an opportunity to make an immediate impact as a leader on our team. Biggie has embraced our 'Code' and 'Leaders First' mentality."
During his junior campaign with the Panthers, Goldman averaged 3.5 points and 3.2 rebounds over 20 games of action, highlighted by his first career double-double against North Dakota. He scored a season-high 16 points with 11 boards in the game. He helped lead UNI to a runner-up finish in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament as well.
"As far as my game goes, I also felt that coach Pel's philosophy fits me perfectly in the fact that he wants and has used skilled forwards in the past at Florida, like Matt Bonner, who can stretch the floor and make plays," Goldman said. "I feel like that fits my game seamlessly and he'll give me the freedom to succeed. And I also know that he'll want what's best for me as a person and push me to grow in areas on and off the court."
Prior to joining the ranks at Northern Iowa, Goldman spent one year at Panola College in Carthage, Texas, earning Region XIV All-Conference Honorable Mention honors. In his sophomore campaign, he started 25 of the 32 games he played in, averaging 9.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.7 assists while shooting better than 40 percent from 3-point range and nearly 73 percent from the charity stripe.
"I'm looking forward to having a chance to step in and have a big role in helping turn things around here, win a lot of games, and showcase my skill set for my final year in college," Goldman added. "I'm ready to meet all the guys and get things rolling this year."
Goldman participated in five games as a freshman at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Before moving on to the college level, the big man attended the Tennessee Preparatory Academy in Memphis, Tenn., averaging 13.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.
As a senior at Lincoln High School in Lincoln, Ark., Biggie earned Class 4A All-State honors behind 17.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game, firing over 40 percent from beyond the arc. During his junior season, he claimed Class 4A State All-Tournament Team honors while leading LHS to both a conference title and a runner-up showing in the Class 4A Region 1 title game. He also earned three All-Conference Team accolades during his high school career, scoring over 1,000 points.
